'''Timbuktu''' (also ''Tombouctou'' or ''Timbuctu'') is a Tuareg city on the Niger River in the [[West Africa|West African]] country of [[Mali]].

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{{warningbox|As of July 2012, Timbuktu is in the hands of Islamist rebels who captured the city from a secular rebel group in June. Most of the area's population has fled to non-rebel controlled areas of Mali or Niger. The rebels have imposed sharia law, which includes mandatory veils for women, the stoning of adulterers, and punitive "amputations" for thieves. The rebels have called for the destruction of all of the city's shrines, which they believe to be a form of idolatry banned by Islam. It appears most, if not all, of the shrines have been destroyed. More information can be found in the warning at the top of the [[Mali]] page.

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Even before the city's capture by rebels, the city was not very safe. Timbuktu lies precariously close to the desert areas where al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have roamed freely and kidnapped many Westerners in the last few years. In November 2011, this reality finally struck home when 3 Western tourists were abducted (and a 4th killed while resisting) from a Timbuktu hotel in broad daylight!!

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Travel to Timbuktu should absolutely not be considered at the moment and travelers should follow the advice of your embassy. (Updated July 2012)}}

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'''Timbuktu''' (also ''Tombouctou'' or ''Timbuctu'') is a Tuareg city on the Niger River in the country of [[Mali]].

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==Understand==

==Understand==

Its long history as a trading outpost that linked black Africa below the Sahara Desert with Berber and Islamic traders throughout north Africa, and thereby indirectly with traders from Europe, has given it a fabled status. Combined with its relative inaccessibility, "Timbuktu" has come to be used as a metaphor for exotic, distant lands.

Its long history as a trading outpost that linked black Africa below the Sahara Desert with Berber and Islamic traders throughout north Africa, and thereby indirectly with traders from Europe, has given it a fabled status. Combined with its relative inaccessibility, "Timbuktu" has come to be used as a metaphor for exotic, distant lands.

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Today, Timbuktu is an impoverished town, although its reputation makes it a tourist attraction, and it has an airport. It is one of the eight regions of Mali, home to the local governor. It is the sister city to Djenne (also in Mali). Mali is divided into eight regions and a district. ... The location of Djenné within Mali Djenné (also Dienné or Jenne) is a city on the Bani River in southern Mali with a population of about 12,000 (in 1987). ...

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Today, Timbuktu is an impoverished town, although its reputation makes it a tourist attraction, and it has an airport. It is one of the eight regions of Mali, home to the local governor. It is the sister city to [[Djenne]] (also in Mali).

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Timbuktu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. In 1990, it was added to the list of world heritage sites in danger due to the threat of desert sands. A program was set up to preserve the site and in 2005, it was taken off the list of endangered sites.

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Timbuktu is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] since 1988. In 1990, it was added to the list of world heritage sites in danger, due to the threat of desert sands. A program was set up to preserve the site and in 2005, it was taken off the list of endangered sites.

It was one of the major stops during Henry Louis Gates' PBS special "Wonders of the African World". Gates visited with Abdel Kadir Haidara, curator of the Mamma Haidara Library together with Ali Ould Sidi from the Cultural Mission of Mali. It is thanks to Gates that an Andrew Mellon Foundation Grant was obtained to finance the construction of the library's facilities, later inspiring the work of the Timbuktu Libraries Project. Unfortunately, no practicing book artists exist in Timbuktu although cultural memory of book artisans is still alive, catering to the tourist trade. It is also home to an institute dedicated to preserving historic documents from the region.

It was one of the major stops during Henry Louis Gates' PBS special "Wonders of the African World". Gates visited with Abdel Kadir Haidara, curator of the Mamma Haidara Library together with Ali Ould Sidi from the Cultural Mission of Mali. It is thanks to Gates that an Andrew Mellon Foundation Grant was obtained to finance the construction of the library's facilities, later inspiring the work of the Timbuktu Libraries Project. Unfortunately, no practicing book artists exist in Timbuktu although cultural memory of book artisans is still alive, catering to the tourist trade. It is also home to an institute dedicated to preserving historic documents from the region.

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==Get in==

==Get in==

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[[Image:Airport in Timbuktu-1-.jpg|thumb|350px|Timbuktu airport]]

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===By car===

===By car===

You can come in a 12 to 24 hours trip by car from [[Mopti]] or have a hard 4x4 experience from [[Gao]] through the desert.

You can come in a 12 to 24 hours trip by car from [[Mopti]] or have a hard 4x4 experience from [[Gao]] through the desert.

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==Get around==

==Get around==

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[[Image:Timbuktu street scene.jpg|thumb|320px|Timbuktu street scene]]

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There are Taxis, camels and donkeys - and not much more... That said you can easily walk from one end of the city to the other in under an hour. All the mosques are located in the old town which can be walked across in just a few minutes.

There are Taxis, camels and donkeys - and not much more... That said you can easily walk from one end of the city to the other in under an hour. All the mosques are located in the old town which can be walked across in just a few minutes.

==See==

==See==

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{{disclaimerbox|The Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine has called for the destruction of all shrines in the city and any mosques containing idols after capturing the city in June 2012. As of July 1, 2012, six of Timbuktu's shrines have been completely destroyed. UNESCO has condemned the actions and placed the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site status in limbo. The information below may not have been updated since these events.}}

Things to see in Timbuktu are certainly the Mosques (closed at hours of prayer. As of April 07, major mosques are closed to non-Muslim visitors). There are '''three main mosques''' in Timbuktu, the '''Djingareiber Mosque''', a world heritage site, which is probably the largest and most impressive, however as of Aug 2007 it is being repaired. When taking photos be careful not to take pictures towards the army barracks just to the south. The '''Sankoré mosque''' has an impressive minaret and is worth a visit, the '''Sidi Yéhia Mosque''' is not as impressive. All three are within a short walk of each other.

Things to see in Timbuktu are certainly the Mosques (closed at hours of prayer. As of April 07, major mosques are closed to non-Muslim visitors). There are '''three main mosques''' in Timbuktu, the '''Djingareiber Mosque''', a world heritage site, which is probably the largest and most impressive, however as of Aug 2007 it is being repaired. When taking photos be careful not to take pictures towards the army barracks just to the south. The '''Sankoré mosque''' has an impressive minaret and is worth a visit, the '''Sidi Yéhia Mosque''' is not as impressive. All three are within a short walk of each other.

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The orginal well of Bouctou, now dry, is in someone's back garden along with the Timbuktu Museum which has an interesting mix of artifacts and contemporary folk art, albeit very dusty.

The orginal well of Bouctou, now dry, is in someone's back garden along with the Timbuktu Museum which has an interesting mix of artifacts and contemporary folk art, albeit very dusty.

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[[Image:Medersa Sankore.jpg|thumb|280px|Inside Sankore Mosque]]

The '''Grand Marché''' is a two-story market with stalls and shops selling all kinds of things, it is well worth going just for the incredible view from the roof, across the whole of Timbuktu to the desert.

The '''Grand Marché''' is a two-story market with stalls and shops selling all kinds of things, it is well worth going just for the incredible view from the roof, across the whole of Timbuktu to the desert.

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There is a shop (called 'objets artes boutique' or something similar) that sells the '''souvenirs''' to the sellers you see around town. If you head north from the hotel colom the road forks, take the left fork and about 100-200m down the road,on the left hand side, is this shop. Prices are 6-10 times cheaper here, you cannot barter but you may get a small (5-10%) discount for buying several items.

There is a shop (called 'objets artes boutique' or something similar) that sells the '''souvenirs''' to the sellers you see around town. If you head north from the hotel colom the road forks, take the left fork and about 100-200m down the road,on the left hand side, is this shop. Prices are 6-10 times cheaper here, you cannot barter but you may get a small (5-10%) discount for buying several items.

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Another good idea is to get a '''postcard''' and post it, it will have the '''Timbuktu postal stamp''' on it. The Post office is down the main street south of the roundabout. The staff in there will give you the right stamps, you can sometimes buy postcards from there or from the many street vendors. Just don't expect to receive the postcard too soon, it can take a month to get through to the UK!

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[[Image:Sankore Mosque, Timbuktu.jpg|thumb|260px|Sankore Mosque]]

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Another good idea is to get a '''postcard''' and post it, it will have the '''Timbuktu postal stamp''' on it. The Post office is down the main street south of the roundabout. The staff in there will give you the right stamps, you can sometimes buy postcards from there or from the many street vendors. Just don't expect to receive the postcard too soon; it can take over a month to get through to many Western countries!

Revision as of 05:21, 19 July 2012

Donkey transport outside Timbuktu's walls

WARNING: As of July 2012, Timbuktu is in the hands of Islamist rebels who captured the city from a secular rebel group in June. Most of the area's population has fled to non-rebel controlled areas of Mali or Niger. The rebels have imposed sharia law, which includes mandatory veils for women, the stoning of adulterers, and punitive "amputations" for thieves. The rebels have called for the destruction of all of the city's shrines, which they believe to be a form of idolatry banned by Islam. It appears most, if not all, of the shrines have been destroyed. More information can be found in the warning at the top of the Mali page.

Even before the city's capture by rebels, the city was not very safe. Timbuktu lies precariously close to the desert areas where al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have roamed freely and kidnapped many Westerners in the last few years. In November 2011, this reality finally struck home when 3 Western tourists were abducted (and a 4th killed while resisting) from a Timbuktu hotel in broad daylight!!

Travel to Timbuktu should absolutely not be considered at the moment and travelers should follow the advice of your embassy. (Updated July 2012)

Timbuktu (also Tombouctou or Timbuctu) is a Tuareg city on the Niger River in the country of Mali.

Contents

Understand

Its long history as a trading outpost that linked black Africa below the Sahara Desert with Berber and Islamic traders throughout north Africa, and thereby indirectly with traders from Europe, has given it a fabled status. Combined with its relative inaccessibility, "Timbuktu" has come to be used as a metaphor for exotic, distant lands.

Today, Timbuktu is an impoverished town, although its reputation makes it a tourist attraction, and it has an airport. It is one of the eight regions of Mali, home to the local governor. It is the sister city to Djenne (also in Mali).

Timbuktu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. In 1990, it was added to the list of world heritage sites in danger, due to the threat of desert sands. A program was set up to preserve the site and in 2005, it was taken off the list of endangered sites.

It was one of the major stops during Henry Louis Gates' PBS special "Wonders of the African World". Gates visited with Abdel Kadir Haidara, curator of the Mamma Haidara Library together with Ali Ould Sidi from the Cultural Mission of Mali. It is thanks to Gates that an Andrew Mellon Foundation Grant was obtained to finance the construction of the library's facilities, later inspiring the work of the Timbuktu Libraries Project. Unfortunately, no practicing book artists exist in Timbuktu although cultural memory of book artisans is still alive, catering to the tourist trade. It is also home to an institute dedicated to preserving historic documents from the region.

The city itself is in stark contrast to the rest of the country's cities, because it has more of an Arabic flair than of an African. The streets are made of sand (except one), and one has often to go down to get into the houses, because of the sand which has leveled the streets higher than the entrances of the houses.

Get in

Timbuktu airport

By car

You can come in a 12 to 24 hours trip by car from Mopti or have a hard 4x4 experience from Gao through the desert.

By boat

You can catch one of the many tourist pinasses from Mopti (or slightly further downstream if the water level is low) they take 3 days to get there and are comfortable (at least mine was). During tourist season there will be plenty of people waiting to go so you can club together to hire one of the pinasses. At night you will be camping on the shore and there will likely be a cook on the boat, they even have 'toilets' at the back. There are also local boats running up and down stream regularly but they are a little more cramped, but probably a lot cheaper.

By plane

You can fly into Timbuktu Airport (IATA: TOM) from Bamako or Mopti (yes, the organization is very rural) and come by plane, although its schedule is extremely unreliable and unpredictable and flights are difficult to book from outside the country.

Get around

Timbuktu street scene

There are Taxis, camels and donkeys - and not much more... That said you can easily walk from one end of the city to the other in under an hour. All the mosques are located in the old town which can be walked across in just a few minutes.

See

The Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine has called for the destruction of all shrines in the city and any mosques containing idols after capturing the city in June 2012. As of July 1, 2012, six of Timbuktu's shrines have been completely destroyed. UNESCO has condemned the actions and placed the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site status in limbo. The information below may not have been updated since these events.

Things to see in Timbuktu are certainly the Mosques (closed at hours of prayer. As of April 07, major mosques are closed to non-Muslim visitors). There are three main mosques in Timbuktu, the Djingareiber Mosque, a world heritage site, which is probably the largest and most impressive, however as of Aug 2007 it is being repaired. When taking photos be careful not to take pictures towards the army barracks just to the south. The Sankoré mosque has an impressive minaret and is worth a visit, the Sidi Yéhia Mosque is not as impressive. All three are within a short walk of each other.

The Western explorers who were the 'first' to find Timbuktu all have their houses preserved and commemorative plaques are visible on each of them. The explorers are Alexander Gordan Laing, first Westerner to make it there, René Caillié, first Westerner to make it there and back, Heinrich Barth, Oscar Lenz and Berky. Only the Heinrich Barth house has a museum, a few old photos, the rest of the houses are all lived in.

The orginal well of Bouctou, now dry, is in someone's back garden along with the Timbuktu Museum which has an interesting mix of artifacts and contemporary folk art, albeit very dusty.

Inside Sankore Mosque

The Grand Marché is a two-story market with stalls and shops selling all kinds of things, it is well worth going just for the incredible view from the roof, across the whole of Timbuktu to the desert.

You can also hire a Tuareg and camels, however the "sunset tours" are too short to really appreciate the surroundings as the Tuareg camps are only a few hundred metres away from the edge of town. However it is interesting to visit one of the camps (usually just a small family group) and see the sun set over the desert. Even if you don't visit the camps it is worth walking to the dunes on the edge of the town just to see them. A tour over several days will however be fascinating. You may even go to do the 40 day trip to the salt fields. Negotiate with the Tuaregs themselves and not so-called "guides".

The flame of peace is a monument to the ceasefire of the Tuareg rebellion. It's just to the northeast of the Petite marché. Although it is pretty new it is clearly falling apart already.

It is not a bad idea to take a child as guide, it prevents you from being hassled as much.

Don't forget to visit the tourist office so you can get your passport stamped with a Timbuktu stamp.

Look out for the dead cats hanging on the telephone cables in the city. It is because you have to dry the fur of the cat before you eat it.

Buy

Take some salt along as well as the Tuareg sabres or knifes. You'll be pretty hard pressed to
get away from vendors selling all the same "unique" necklaces, earrings, knives and other
handicrafts, so make sure to drive them down to a good price. A fair rule is to offer about
a third of the price they originally quote, then haggle so you pay half their first price. They
are used to this and so always start at too high a price. However, the things they sell are
generally of good quality and great for souvenirs.

There is a shop (called 'objets artes boutique' or something similar) that sells the souvenirs to the sellers you see around town. If you head north from the hotel colom the road forks, take the left fork and about 100-200m down the road,on the left hand side, is this shop. Prices are 6-10 times cheaper here, you cannot barter but you may get a small (5-10%) discount for buying several items.

Sankore Mosque

Another good idea is to get a postcard and post it, it will have the Timbuktu postal stamp on it. The Post office is down the main street south of the roundabout. The staff in there will give you the right stamps, you can sometimes buy postcards from there or from the many street vendors. Just don't expect to receive the postcard too soon; it can take over a month to get through to many Western countries!

Eat

Hotel Le Colombe Restaurant, ☎292 14 35. 4000CFa.

There are a number of bar/restaurants around, including one on top of the Grand Marche. There is also a patisserie opposite the post office.

Cat (see above)

Drink

You'd better avoid drinks as they are prepared from local tap water and are hazardous to your belly.....